Famous people who died in 2013

Monday

Dec 23, 2013 at 1:17 PMDec 23, 2013 at 1:20 PM

(AP) - Both were mold-breaking former heads of state who reshaped their own countries and the world. Nelson Mandela, revered for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, and Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who imposed her will on Britain's politics and economy, were among notables who died in 2013.

(AP) - Both were mold-breaking former heads of state who reshaped their own countries and the world. Nelson Mandela, revered for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, and Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who imposed her will on Britain's politics and economy, were among notables who died in 2013.

Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at age 95, was considered a master of forgiveness. He became South Africa's first black president after spending 27 years in prison for championing equality against the white-minority government, and he inspired the world by seeking a relatively peaceful transition of power.

As Britain's only female prime minister, Thatcher ruled for 11 years and showed an unshakable faith in the free market, leaving behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation. While she had fierce critics, praise for her leadership came in from around the world when she died in April at 87.

Other political figures who died this year included Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, former Italian premier Giulio Andreotti, Poland's ex-prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, France's Pierre Mauroy, and Hungary's Gyula Horn, prominent past mayors of New York and Beijing, Ed Koch and Chen Xitong, and former U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Harry F. Byrd.

Also dying in 2013 was a man whose invention you may hold as you read this. Doug Engelbart, who died in July, invented the computer mouse, among other things. Others from the world of science and technology who died this year included the Manhattan Project's Donald F. Hornig, Nobel Prize winners Frederick Sanger, Robert Edwards and Kenneth Wilson, audio pioneers Ray Dolby and Amar Bose and astronauts C. Gordon Fullerton and Scott Carpenter.

In the arena of arts and entertainment, this year saw the death of one who was hugely influential though not technically an entertainer at all. Roger Ebert, who died in April, was America's most popular film critic, telling audiences which movies to see or avoid with his famous thumbs-up or thumbs-down reviews.

Donald F. Hornig, 92. Scientist who served as a key figure on the Manhattan Project, an adviser to three U.S. presidents and president of Brown University. Jan. 21.

Linda Pugach, 75. Blinded in 1959 when her lover hired hit men to throw lye in her face, she became a media sensation after later marrying him. Jan. 22.

Cardinal Jozef Glemp, 83. Longtime head of Poland's influential Roman Catholic church who helped lead the nation peacefully through martial law and the fight against communism. Jan. 23.

Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, 69. Frontman for the hit-making funk music band the Ohio Players. Jan. 26.

Ceija Stojka, 79. She survived three Nazi death camps and went on to raise the awareness of the Nazi persecution of the Roma — or Gypsies — in her art and writings. Jan. 28.

Said Musa Maragha, 86. Hard-line Palestinian military commander better known by his nom de guerre, "Abu Musa," who rebelled against leader Yasser Arafat to form his own rival party. Jan. 29.

Patty Andrews, 94. Last of the singing Andrews Sisters trio whose hits such as the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and the poignant "I Can Dream, Can't I?" captured the home-front spirit of World War II. Jan. 30.

FEBRUARY:

Ed Koch, 88. Former New York mayor and combative politician who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during three City Hall terms. Feb. 1.

Lavonne "Pepper" Paire-Davis, 88. A star of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and an inspiration for the central character in the movie "A League of Their Own." Feb. 2.

Chris Kyle, 38. Former Navy SEAL and author of the best-selling book "American Sniper." Feb. 2. Fatally shot at a Texas gun range.

James Muri, 93. World War II pilot who saved his crippled B-26 bomber and crew by buzzing the flight deck of a Japanese aircraft carrier during the Battle of Midway. Feb. 3.

Donald Byrd, 80. Hard-bop trumpeter of the 1950s who collaborated on dozens of albums with top artists of his time and later enjoyed commercial success with hit jazz-funk fusion records such as "Black Byrd." Feb. 4.

Dale Robertson, 89. Oklahoma native who became a star of television and movie Westerns during the genre's heyday. Feb. 26.

Van Cliburn, 78. Pianist whose triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular career that made him the rare classical musician to enjoy rock-star status. Feb. 27.

Bruce Reynolds, 81. Mastermind of a British heist known as the "Great Train Robbery." Feb. 28.

John J. Wilpers Jr., 93. Last surviving member of the U.S. Army intelligence unit that captured former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo after World War II. Feb. 28.

MARCH:

Bonnie Franklin, 69. Pert, redheaded actress whom millions came to identify with for her role as divorced mom Ann Romano on the sitcom "One Day at a Time." March 1.

Jewel Akens, 79. Pop singer who had a 1960s hit with "The Birds and the Bees." March 1. Complications from back surgery.

Fran Warren, 87. Singer-actress whose 1947 recording of "A Sunday Kind of Love" was a hit of the big band era. March 4.

Hugo Chavez, 58. Fiery populist president of Venezuela who declared a socialist revolution, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America. March 5. Cancer.

Dirk Coetzee, 57. Former commander of an apartheid-era police unit in South Africa that killed black activists. March 6.

Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, 90. Last surviving member of the main plot to kill Adolf Hitler, who once volunteered to wear a suicide vest to assassinate the Nazi dictator. March 8.

Princess Lilian, 97. Her decades-long love story with the king's uncle was one of the better kept secrets of the Swedish royal household. March 10.

Ieng Sary, 87. Co-founder of the brutal Khmer Rouge movement in 1970s who became one of its few leaders to be put on trial for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians. March 14.

James Barrett, 86. Vintner whose chardonnay beat the French in a 1976 tasting that propelled California wines to international prominence. March 14.

Olen Burrage, 82. He was acquitted in the case of three civil rights workers killed by Ku Klux Klansmen in Mississippi in the 1960s. March 15.

Frank Thornton, 92. British actor best known as Captain Peacock in the long-running television comedy "Are You Being Served?" March 16.

Mariam Farhat, 64. Palestinian lawmaker known as the "mother of martyrs" who praised and supported three of her sons who were killed while carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis. March 17.

A.B.C. "Cal" Whipple, 94. Connecticut man who helped get a groundbreaking photograph of dead American soldiers published during World War II. March 17.

Harry Reems, 65. Male star of the 1972's "Deep Throat," which brought pornographic film to mainstream audiences. March 19.

Zillur Rahman, 84. Bangladesh's figurehead president, he was a top leader of the ruling Awami League party before Parliament elected him president in 2009. March 20.

James Herbert, 69. British horror writer whose best-sellers included "The Rats" and "The Fog." March 20.

George Lowe, 89. Last surviving climber from the team that made the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. March 20.

Chinua Achebe, 82. Nigerian author, statesman and dissident who gave literary birth to modern Africa with "Things Fall Apart" and continued for decades to rewrite and reclaim the history of his native country. March 21.

Bebo Valdes, 94. Renowned pianist, composer and bandleader who recorded with Nat "King" Cole, was musical director at Havana's legendary Tropicana Club and a key participant in the golden age of Cuban music. March 22.

Joe Weider, 93. Legendary figure in bodybuilding who helped popularize the sport and played a key role in introducing young weightlifter Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world. March 23.

Deke Richards, 68. As leader of the Motown creative team known as The Corporation, he was involved in writing and producing many Jackson 5 hits. March 24.

John Williamson, 80. Pioneer of the 1960s sexual revolution as co-founder of Topanga Canyon's Sandstone Retreat, where nudity and free love once took place with abandon. March 24. Cancer.

Elwin Wilson, 76. Former Ku Klux Klan supporter who apologized for years of violent racism, including the beating of Freedom Rider John Lewis who went on to become a Georgia congressman. March 28.

Richard Griffiths, 65. Versatile British actor who won a Tony Award for "The History Boys" and played unsympathetic Uncle Vernon Dursley in the "Harry Potter" movies. March 28.

Barbara Piasecka Johnson, 76. A Polish farmer's daughter who worked as a maid for an American heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune before marrying him and eventually inheriting much of his wealth. April 1.

Jane Henson, 78. She was married to Jim Henson and the two were creative and business partners in the development of the Muppets. April 2.

Roger Ebert, 70. First journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism, who, on his long-running TV review program, wielded the nation's most influential thumb. April 4.

Anna Merz, 83. Conservationist who sought to protect the rhinoceros from poaching that has severely depleted its numbers in Africa. April 4.

Lilly Pulitzer, 81. Palm Beach socialite-turned-designer whose tropical print dresses in the 1960s later became a fashion classic. April 7.

Margaret Thatcher, 87. Conservative British prime minister who infuriated European allies, found a fellow believer in Ronald Reagan and transformed her country by a ruthless dedication to free markets. April 8. Stroke.

Annette Funicello, 70. Child star as a perky Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, who then teamed with Frankie Avalon on a string of '60s fun-in-the-sun movies with names like "Beach Party Bingo." April 8. Complications from multiple sclerosis.

Robert Edwards, 87. Nobel prizewinner from Britain whose pioneering in vitro fertilization research led to the first test tube baby. April 10.

Maria Tallchief, 88. One of America's first great prima ballerinas who gave life to "The Nutcracker," ''Firebird," and other masterpieces from choreographer George Balanchine. April 11.

George Jones, 81. Peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and peaked with the heartbreaker "He Stopped Loving Her Today." April 26.

Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, 96. Shanghai bishop who revived the Catholic church in China's financial hub after years of Maoist persecution. April 27.

MAY:

Chris Kelly, 34. Half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross who made one of the decade's most memorable songs with "Jump." May 1. Drug overdose.

Jeff Hanneman, 49. Founding member of the pioneering metal band Slayer whose career was irrevocably changed after a spider bite. May 2. Liver failure.

David Morris Kern, 103. Creator of Orajel, a medicine aimed at toothaches that was later also used for mouth sores. May 3.

Otis R. Bowen, 95. Small-town doctor who overhauled Indiana's tax system as governor before helping promote safe sex practices in the early years of AIDS as the top health official under President Ronald Reagan. May 4.

Giulio Andreotti, 94. Seven-time premier and a symbol of postwar Italy. May 6.

Paul Crouch, 79. Televangelist who built what's been called the world's largest Christian broadcasting network. Nov. 30.

DECEMBER:

Edward J. "Babe" Heffron, 90. His World War II army service was recounted in the book and TV miniseries "Band of Brothers." Dec. 1.

Heinrich Boere, 92. He murdered Dutch civilians as part of a Nazi Waffen SS hit squad during World War II but avoided justice for six decades. Dec. 1.

Andre Schiffrin, 78. Editor who gave readers Art Spiegelman, Michel Foucault and Studs Terkel before he was forced out of commercial publishing in a battle between profits and literature. Dec. 1. Pancreatic cancer.

Ahmed Fouad Negm, 84. Egypt's "poet of the people" whose political verses in colloquial Arabic skewered the country's leaders and inspired protesters from the 1970s to today. Dec. 3.

Nelson Mandela, 95. Colossus of the 20th century who emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa and became that nation's first black president. Dec. 5.

Betty Quadracci, 75. Quad/Graphics Inc. co-founder who also was president of Milwaukee Magazine and a champion of the arts. Dec. 9.

Eleanor Parker, 91. She was nominated for Academy Awards three times for her portrayals of strong-willed women and played a scheming baroness in "The Sound of Music." Dec. 9. Complications from pneumonia.

Jang Song Thaek, 67. Uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was long considered the country's No. 2 power. Dec. 12. Executed.

Wilfred Billey, 90. A Navajo Code Talker, whose words are inscribed on congressional medals given to his group and who fought to have a World War II comrade recognized for his service. Dec. 12.

Peter O'Toole, 81. Charismatic actor who achieved instant stardom as the title character of "Lawrence of Arabia" and was nominated eight times for an Academy Award. Dec. 14.

Joan Fontaine, 96. Academy Award-winning actress who found stardom playing naive wives in Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion" and "Rebecca" and also was featured in films by Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang and Nicholas Ray. Dec. 15.

Harold Camping, 92. California preacher who used his evangelical radio ministry and billboards to predict the end of the world and then gave up public prophecy when his date-specific doomsdays did not come to pass. Dec. 15.

Ray Price, 87. One of country music's most popular and influential singers and bandleaders who had more than 100 hits. Dec. 16.

Graham Mackay, 64. SABMiller PLC chairman who helped guide the company from a South African industrial conglomerate into one of the world's biggest brewers. Dec. 18. Brain tumor.

Al Goldstein, 77. The publisher of Screw magazine who helped break down legal barriers against pornography and raged against politicians and organized religion. Dec. 19.

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